Rutgers football ranks in top 10 in APR for fourth straight year

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerAfter a 4-8 season and tragic injury to DT Eric LeGrand, coach Greg Schiano finally has something to smile about

Five Rutgers teams — football, gymnastics, tennis, men’s cross country and women’s soccer — received public recognition from the NCAA for top academic performance for their multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, the NCAA announced today.

It marked the fourth-consecutive year that the Scarlet Knights’ football, women’s tennis and men’s cross country programs were cited by the NCAA, while women’s gymnastics was honored for the second straight year.

These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

The Rutgers football program was the lone state university on the list to be ranked in the top 10 percent nationally in APR for four years in a row. The Scarlet Knights continue to be one of the leaders nationally in both production on the field and in the classroom.

Last year, the Rutgers football team achieved the nation’s number one ranking in Academic Progress Rate. Full APR scores for all teams will be released May 24.

Rutgers is one of only 14 Football Bowl Subdivision programs to be ranked in the top 10 percent in the APR scores.

"It's one of the most difficult things (to do)," football coach Greg Schiano said. "All the kids want to play football and go to the NFL. ... But there has been a culture established here. It's kind of become one of our characteristics. It's a tribute to a lot of people."

In the ultra competitive world of big-time college football, Schiano has walked that fine line. He said he doesn't worry about taking a chance on players who might be borderline academically. He says he looks at the young man's character and whether he has the work ethic and sense of family that has been the signature of the Rutgers program.

"Everybody comes from different backgrounds," Schiano said. "I think if they care and love the game of football, they'll do the things we ask them to do academically to succeed.

"It comes down to are they Rutgers' men? Are they guys who are going to put the program or family first and do the things they don't always feel like doing because that's the way we do it here?"

The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

Top-performing teams this year posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on the number of perfect scores.

NOTE: Players, including some freshmen, are scheduled to report on May 31 to begin summer classes and offseason voluntary workouts.